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The Dingle
Peninsula is a place of intense, shifting beauty.
Spectacular mountains, long sandy beaches and the
staggering splinter-slatted mass of rocks that defines
the extraordinary coast at Slea Head all conspire to
ensure that, remote though it is, the Dingle Peninsula
is firmly on the tourist trail.
The Dingle
Peninsula protrudes 10 miles wide from the southeast of the
island of Ireland. It runs 40 miles from Tralee to Slea Head,
the point in Europe that is closest to North America.
Its highest
peak is Mount Brandon, which, at 3,300 feet, is the
country’s second tallest mountain. You are advised to give
yourself about four hours to travel the 30-mile road circuit
of the peninsula by car, as you will want to stop off at many
of its beauty spots.
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Once
described by the National Geographic Traveler as “the
most beautiful place on earth”, the Dingle
Peninsula is a place of intense allure, with a plethora
of green landscapes, rocky hills, long sandy beaches and
staggering cliff edges. The warm Gulf Stream reaches the
peninsula, giving has a wonderful mixture of sometimes
rare and unusual flora and fauna.
Dingle is
one of Ireland’s Government-protected Irish
(Gaelic)-speaking areas, called “Gaeltachts”.
Dingle's Irish name is Daingean Uí Chúis which, to fit
on signposts, is generally abbreviated to An Daingean.
Many of
the towns and villages in the region have Irish names
too and, as many maps use the anglicised versions of
these names, visitors are advised to purchase maps that
give both the Irish and English versions of all
placenames.
The area
is also very popular with cyclists. Some of the most
noteworthy stops on the Peninsula tour include the
village of Inch, which has a glorious beach, the now
uninhabited Blasket Islands, and the Gaelic-speaking
Ballydavid and Ballyferriter.
The
region is littered with with relics from both the Stone
Age and Bronze Age and, more recently, the
Ecclesiastical period, when Ireland was known as the
“land of Saints and Scholars”, due to its high
number of monasteries and religious schools.
The
Dingle Peninsula is also associated with the film
industry. Ryan’s Daughter was filmed here, as were
parts of Far and Away, which starred Tom Cruise.
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